France

Eiffage to boost offshore capability with Smulders acquisition

FRANCE: French construction group Eiffage has signed a conditional contract to buy Smulders, Iemants, Willems and Spomasz, the leading companies of the Holland-based Smulders Group.

The deal includes Smulders Projects, which undertakes project management and engineering for offshore wind, and a plant at Antwerp producing foundations and towers. The group has supplied monopile and jacket foundations to a large number of projects, from Horns Rev to Thornton Bank. Smulders Group filed for bankruptcy last year.

Lemants and Willems are Belgian companies supplying high-grade steel constructions, including offshore substations for the London Array, Luchterduinen and Amrumbank West offshore facilities, among many others.

Spomasz, in Poland, manufactures sub-components for towers and foundations.

Eiffage is keen to break into the offshore market. In France, the company is competing with STX to design and manufacture the foundations and offshore substation for the 500MW St-Brieuc project.